St Mary's Church Angamaly

St. Mary's Soonoro Cathedral Angamaly
St. Mary's Soonoro Cathedral Angamaly
Basic information
Location	Angamaly, Ernakulam, India
Geographic coordinates	10°11′26″N 76°22′58″E / 10.1906°N 76.3828°E / 10.1906; 76.3828Coordinates: 10°11′26″N 76°22′58″E / 10.1906°N 76.3828°E / 10.1906; 76.3828
Affiliation	Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church
District	Ernakulam
Province	Kerala
Year consecrated	4th century CE
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Valiyapally
Architectural description
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	Kerala Architecture
Completed	409 CE
Direction of façade	West

St Mary's Jacobite Syrian Church, Angamaly( now known as St. Mary's Soonoro Cathedral) is believed to be built in AD 409 and is the first church built in Angamaly. It is an ancient church and one of the most prominent churches in Kerala. It was the seat of the Archdeacon, the local head of the Malankara Church and hence held an important position in Malankara for many centuries.

After the Apostle St. Thomas arrived India in AD 52 and sowed the seeds of the Gospel, about 400 Syrian families immigrated in AD 345 under the leadership of the merchant Knayi Thoma to a town named Mahathevar patnam, near Muziris the famous port of Kodungalloor. This was the first known centre of Christians in India. Jews who had engaged in trade with the coast of Malabar had inhabited the city much earlier and had rights to land and other privileges there. Kodungalloor subsequently became less hospitable to Christians who took refuge in Angamaly. The local chieftain of "Mangattu", also referred to as "Mangattachan", graciously welcomed Christians into the area and granted them many privileges including the right to establish a church, a market and a town in 'Ankamalee' (later Angamaly). The land for the Church was granted to the Syrian Christians next to his palace premises as a noble gesture. Thus the church was built with wood and thatched roofing in a location adjacent to the palace of the chieftain and in closer proximity to the palace. The archaeological department of Kerala interpreted the ancient inscription on a stone in the altar room of this church as the consent of the local chieftain for the establishment of the Syrian church.

For many centuries this church and the Akaparambu Church (Mar Sabor and Mar Afroth) were a united parish and was administered by one council as is evident in the record of a general body meeting of 16-8-1069 (Malayalam Era). Both church used the same cemetery of this church. A new cemetery was formed at Akaparambu Church in 1956 by Mor Gregorios Vayaliparambil and the parishes were separated into two. This church is adorned by beautiful mural paintings, chandeliers and wooden carvings.

According to tradition, Mar Yoohanon who represented the Malankara Church at the Holy Synod of Ephesus in AD 431 stayed at Marth Maryam Valiyapally Kothamangalam and had visited Ankamaly church.

Archdeacons of Pakalomattom family who administered from Ankamaly were Geevargese Kathanar, Yakob Kathanar, Alexander Kathanar, and Geevargese Kathanar (the second). Geevargese the Second was buried in this Church.